Ode to Joy

A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,

and your lips with shouting.

Job 8:21

I am so glad the Lord loves Joy and He loves laughter. We just have to be careful with laughing at inopportune times. I chuckle at the word “joy.” If you say the word “joy” and there isn’t a smile that comes to your face, then something is terribly wrong.

Everyone needs one friend that will get them to giggle in serious situations. I still laugh out loud every time I think of one memory with the friend who does that for me.

I was sitting in church one Sunday morning with that friend. Our pastor was preaching (he is still our pastor today). The auditorium was quiet as we were all intently leaning in to the message. Low and behold, there was a stink bug crawling up a lady’s back that was two rows in front of us. As the stink bug crawled up her neck and into her hair, my friend and I gasped out loud at the same time. The lady never felt a thing.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get to her so we had to watch the saga unfold, and we couldn’t hold it in any longer. We both got uncontrollable giggles. I even choked, and at that moment, our pastor became “aware” of us from the pulpit.

The following week, he asked my friend what brought on the giggles. This was not our first incident, and it certainly wasn’t our last. I am so thankful for an understanding pastor.

As scripture states above, laughter is good medicine. It is good for our souls. It’s healthy to laugh.

Key Health Benefits of Laughter:

• Stress Reduction: Laughter breaks the cycle of stress, immediately relaxing the body.

• Cardiovascular Health: It improves vascular function and gets oxygen flowing, aiding heart health.

• Pain Relief: The endorphins released act as natural painkillers.

• Mood Boosting: It changes your perspective, acting as a mental reset. 

All of this to say, sometimes we take life too seriously and miss out on Joy. Joy cannot always be contained, but it can be shared! It bubbles up, and without even meaning too, others are brought in to share the joy.

I want to be that joyful friend that when others walk away after talking to me, they are smiling and laughing, leaving in better spirits than when they came.

But please hear this: laughter should never ever be at someone else’s expense. Unless, of course, you are a stink bug.